Quick warning: The Drifters is not a piece of theatre. The Icons Tour is what you’d expect from 1950s doo-wop sensation, a pop-fuelled jaunt through their greatest hits.

The show was definitely one for the fans. If you don’t know at least one of their biggest songs, ‘Under the Boardwalk’, ‘Up on the Roof’ or ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’, I doubt you’d get what everyone else was so excited about.

These big numbers had the sold-out Richmond Theatre on its feet, dancing along merrily. I was one of them. The songs are clever, uplifting and reflect a simpler time. Before now I hadn’t realised they also tell a little narrative. The songs ‘Up on the Roof’, ‘Under the Boardwalk’ and ‘Sand in my Shoe’ come together to tell the tale of one hot summer romance.

Sadly there were too many ballads which watered down the festivities and never allowed energy to build between songs. I felt a deep sense of dread every time a stool was brought on stage because I knew I’d have to hear another dull solo. I wasn’t the only one, the audience could be seen fidgeting. And I could really see them. For half the show, but at different times, the house lights would be on meaning you could see everyone.

We all enjoyed ourselves during the upbeat numbers, special mention to ‘Little Red Book’ which I didn’t know well before, and a small selection of Christmas songs at the end were very sweet. Sometimes it felt like you were watching a band play at a wedding. Production values were very low. The worst offender being the bizarre shiny suits and the waistcoats that made the singers look like ushers at a wedding.

Once in a while a creepy voice, with terrible 80s techno backing, would enlighten you to the history of the band, something that was done much more effectively by lead singer Michael Williams. Williams spun tales about the family history of the band and how a constantly shifting line up leaves many friends behind.

The Drifters gave me a fun night out but could lose the dreariness and deliver more of what they are known for. Almost 60 years on and doo-wop still sounds good to me.